This image is based on the folktale of Minamoto Raiko and his retinue, who disguised themselves as yamabushi (mountain priests) heading to Oe-mountain in pursuit of the demon named Shuten-doji (酒呑童子). On their journey, they encountered a woman who had been abducted by the demon and was washing clothes stained with blood.

The artist appears to be Okubo Tadanobu Kyosen (大久保忠舒巨川), as the letter "Kyosen-Ko" (巨川工) is seen in the lower right. We wondered what the "工" indicates. Some resources say that he used that signature when he designed the image and commissioned another artist to draw it. Some research suggests that he asked Harunobu to collaborate many of his artworks. Therefore, this piece might have been drawn by Harunobu.

Any comments are welcome!

As discussed in the overview to this collection, two different companies were involved in making these prints, but just which company made which print is difficult to ascertain. For this design, we have both versions. You can compare the two versions in the 'Compare with Similar Items' tab below.